Let My Heart Decide
by Vervain
Summary: Ryoga's wildest dream--- to be with Akane--- is about to come true, but in a way no one ever imagined. Now it's Akane's turn to choose. Who will it be... Ranma or Ryoga?


Let My Heart Decide

By Vervain

Chapter One

          The sun was setting, painting the sky with streaks of orange, pink and gold. A light breeze caressed Ryoga Hibiki's hair as he walked into the town of Nerima--- or, at least, what he _thought _was Nerima.

          "Excuse me, Miss, could you please tell me the way to the Tendo Dojo?"

          The brown-haired woman gave him a strange look. "I don't believe I've ever heard of that place here in Miyazaki."

          "Miya… zaki? You mean… I'm not in Nerima?"

          "Nerima? Is that where you wanted to go?" The woman's strange look had been replaced by an expression of total astonishment. "Oh, boy, you must have taken a _serious _wrong turn! Nerima is on the other side of those mountains." She pointed to the faraway peaks, now colored purple in the fading afternoon light.

          Ryoga sank to his knees. "NO!!! I can't believe I'm lost… again…" he gasped in total despair.

          The woman quickly walked away, shaking her head.

          "Akane… I had hoped to see you again… to be with you tonight… but it seems like I must wait a little longer… I miss you so much…"

          "Hey, what are you talking to yourself for?" a deep voice boomed in Ryoga's ear. The stranger barely managed to avoid the instinctive punch the boy sent in his direction.

          Ryoga stood up. He was facing a tall, middle-aged man with shoulder-length black hair and dark brown eyes. _He looks familiar for some reason, _he mused. "Have we met?"

          "That's the same thing I was going to ask you!" exclaimed the older man. "You look _incredibly _familiar."

          They stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, each one sifting through memories of past encounters, trying to put a name to the face before him, a face that brought an inexplicable rush of déjà vu.

          And then the truth hit them, at the same time.

          "No… it can't be!" they said in perfect, shocked unison.

          "I'll get you for sure, Pop!" Ranma Saotome yelled as he raced after his father down the streets of Nerima. It was a sunny Saturday morning, and the Saotome School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts was in session.

          "You can try until you drop dead, son, but you can never defeat me!" Genma called back. He effortlessly increased his speed until he was no more than a blur.

          "Darn." Ranma's eyes narrowed, then he leapt on top of a nearby fence. He ran until he was beside his father… and then he jumped. "Gotcha now, old man!"

          The two of them rolled down the street in a cloud of fists, kicks and foul words. A laundrywoman, having finished with her duties, accidentally splashed a bucket of cold, soapy water on them. They turned into a redheaded girl and a giant panda, but they appeared not to notice.

          Suddenly, Panda-Genma grabbed female Ranma's left leg. And sank his teeth into it.

          "YEOOOWWWW!!!" Ranma screamed. In an extraordinary display of dexterity, she managed to lift herself up with her right leg and kick her father in the stomach.

          Genma let go of his son's--- er, _daughter's _leg and reeled backwards, groaning in pain. He held up a sign. _How could you do that to your own father?_

"And how could _you _bite your own child?" Ranma shot back angrily.

          _Let's go home._

"Ha! You're just saying that 'cause you know I'm gonna kick your ass! Well, it's not working, Pop. I'm not quitting until you surrender!"

          _It's almost lunchtime._

"Ooh, let's go."

          They stopped at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant for some hot water that restored them to their original forms. "Boy, I sure am starving," said Genma as they neared the Tendo Dojo. "I hoped Kasumi cooked something good."

          "Yeah, me too."

          The moment they entered the house, Ranma knew something was wrong. There was a bitter smell in the air… the smell of something burning…

          "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!" Akane Tendo came running out of the kitchen, followed by a thick cloud of black smoke. The yellow skirt she was wearing had caught fire.

          Before the two Saotomes could react, Soun Tendo appeared. His eyes bulged as he took in the situation. "Kasumi! Nabiki! Come quick! Bring some water! The kitchen's on fire!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. He then returned his attention to his youngest daughter, who by now was running around in circles, screaming in panic. "Quick, Akane, into the pond!"

          Akane didn't need to be told twice. She promptly dashed past Ranma and dove into the pond, just as Kasumi and Nabiki appeared with buckets of water.

          "Here!" said Nabiki, shoving a bucket into Ranma's arms.

          The kitchen was full of smoke, but the source of the fire was easy to locate. Kasumi splashed water on the stove, while Ranma and Nabiki did the same to the two nearby curtains. Once the fire had been extinguished, they stared at the charred remains of what had once been a frying pan and some kind of food that was no longer identifiable.

          "From the looks of this, I'd say she was trying to make fried squid," said Kasumi, looking sorrowful. "No one has ever burnt a hole in a pan before."

          "Stupid tomboy," muttered Ranma. He went to the pond and saw Akane sitting on the grass, staring at her hands, which were folded on her lap. Her wet black hair was plastered to her face, and her drenched clothes clung to every curve of her body. She actually looked kinda cute.

          Oh, who was he kidding? He'd _always _thought she was cute.

          "I don't get it," she murmured. "The fire just went out of control." She raised bewildered dark brown eyes up to him, and he had to suck in his breath. Man, oh man, didn't she have any clue what she was doing to him?

          "Serves you right," said Ranma, crossing his arms. "You had no idea what you were doing. Cooking is for _girls._"

          Akane stood up, clenching her fists. "What are you trying to say, Ranma?" she spat out, shoving her face a few inches closer to his.

          He took a step backwards. _What I'm trying to say is that you're beautiful… that I worry about you all the time… that I like you… Maybe, even more than like… _"Isn't it obvious?" he shouted, loudly enough to be heard three blocks away, perhaps to drown out that traitorous inner voice. "You're an uncute tomboy who doesn't know how to cook! I don't want to marry you! No one's _ever _going to want to marry you!"

          She slapped him.

          It wasn't a hard slap, not the kind that sent him flying through the air. Just a weak, halfhearted slap that he barely felt at all.

          "What's the matter? Don't tell me you've lost your strength too---" Ranma stopped when he realized that her eyes were filled with tears. "Hey, Akane…"

          "Ranma, you idiot! You pervert!" The last syllable was choked off by a sob. And then she pushed past him, disappearing into the house.

          Genma and all the Tendos were staring at him.

          "You went too far, Ranma," said Soun quietly.

          "Yeah," Nabiki added in a tone dripping with sarcasm. "I mean, she was only trying to make your lunch, after all."

          "She stayed up late last night looking for the perfect recipe," said Kasumi. "Then she spent the entire morning in the kitchen, practicing. I offered to help her, but she said she wanted to do it by herself…" She trailed off, because Ranma had already started running up the stairs.

Author's Note:

Hello! Vervain here… ^_^ This is a crazy idea that just popped into my head, and ever since then has been _begging _to be let out. So here it is! ^_^ I hope you liked the first chapter. Please don't hesitate to let me know what you think, even if it's something negative. Oh, and this is the first Ranma ½ fic I've ever written, and I'm probably not good at it, so please be gentle, 'kay? ^_^ 


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